In The Aftermath
by SVUlover
Summary: After Spencer's arrest and Mona's death, the girls realize that the only way to end it all is to jump in headfirst and do the one thing they've been unable to for so long: tell the truth, and hope that something goes right. How hard will it be to deal with the aftermath? (Spencer/spoby centric, but includes all main characters/couples.)
1. Preface

_Title: In The Aftermath_  
_Summary: After Spencer's arrest and Mona's death, the girls realize that the only way to end it all is to jump in headfirst and do the one thing they've been unable to for so long: tell the truth, and hope that something goes right. How hard will it be to deal with the aftermath? Spencer/spoby centric, but includes all main characters/couples._

_Author's note: This is a new story that I thought of at work today. This is just a little intro so I can feel out people's reactions. While it will include all of the girls, of course, this will be a Spencer and spoby-centric story. Please let me know your thoughts!  
_

* * *

**Preface**

* * *

It was cold, and the air smelled stale and damp. The light was dim, and the chair and table both were unsteady on their feet. She'd been sitting in there for almost forty five minutes, according to the loudly ticking clock on the wall. They'd processed her, taken fingerprints and mugshots and did all of the things she heard her parents talk about all the time. And then they had stuck her in this room, removed the handcuffs that had left uncomfortable marks on her wrists, and left her alone

Spencer knew that they were watching her through the one way window, she knew that they did this all the time. You out the suspect in a room alone and let them sit there, unable to be comfortable. Make them uneasy, more willing to talk. This made it easier to get people to confess to things they didn't do.

She paced. Back and forth across the five by nine feet room, over and over. Her mother would come, one of her friends had called her. Her mother would come blowing in and they'd figure this out. But in the meantime, she paces because she can't sit down.

How had it all come to this? How had one person pulled them all together and then spiraled their lives out of control? Alison was just a person. A seventeen year old high schooler just like Aria, Hanna, Emily and Spencer themselves. But she was a sociopath, something none of them had seen. It all seemed so clear now. She was the smart one, how had she failed to see the signs they'd studied in AP psychology?

Her mind is all over, thinking about the past, about her friends and how they wouldn't leave her alone in this, but also about Toby. Toby, who was pulled into this again because of her. Toby, who had watched from a wheelchair, tried to help her. She wonders where they all are now, if they're ok. She wants to be with him, longs to feel his arms around her, making her feel safe like no one else can.

But the clock on the wall ticks on for another twenty minutes, and so Spencer paces, trying to keep warm and her mind busy. Finally, the door opens and detective Holbrook steps in, standing across from her. Spencer knows the tactics her parents had told her about, and she states back until he gestures to the seat. "Sit." He says it, an order. "Can I get you anything?"

"My mother, who you can't tell me I can't see because I'm a minor and she's lawyer. I have nothing to say to you, not until she gets here," Spencer states, arms crossed over her chest.

"You know spencer, once your mother gets here, it's done. All I want is the truth, the real truth. Maybe we can make a deal," he says.

"I'm the daughter of two of the best lawyers in the state, detective," Spencer says back, looking at him through narrowed eyes. "I didn't do what I've been accused of, and I'm not going to say anything and have you twist it. I want my mother, now."

Holbrook sighs, but turns around, leaving. Left alone, once again, in the small room, Spencer crosses her arms around herself. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't scared. How could she not be? She swallows the lump in her throat, trying not to cry. She's successful for all of a minute, which is when the door opens and her mother blows in. For a moment, her face looks like a lawyer; stern and fierce. But when Veronica sees Spencer standing there, looking so small, her face softens, and she opens her arms, gathering her daughter in them.

"Mom," Spencer cries, breaking down. "Mommy, I didn't, I didn't hurt anyone. It was Ali, it was all Ali," Spencer says, finding the truth coming easier than she thought.

"Shh," Veronica says softly, leaning back. She brushes Spencer's hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. "It's ok, it's going to be ok, Spencer. Your dad is on the phone with a friend of his, a judge. He thinks he can get him to do an emergency arraignment, he owes him, and we'll post bail, get you out of here," She promises.

"But what if they don't set bail, it's a murder charge mom, you've said-" Spencer begins to panic. Jail would be too much like Radley, and she couldn't go back to that place.

"Shh," her mom says again. "Dad said we can volunteer for you to wear a monitor bracelet. We'll surrender your passport, we'll do whatever we have to do, Spencer, ok?"

The look in her mother's eyes tells her she means business, and she knows her parents. For once, she nods, trusting her. Her mom leads her to a chair, sitting her down into it. Rolling her eyes when it shifts, unsteady, she reaches in her briefcase and sticks a file under the uneven leg, and then shrugs out of her jacket, putting it around Spencer's shoulders.

"Toby?" Spencer asks her, "The girls?"

"Everyone's at our house. Toby, the girls, their parents, Caleb, and Paige," Veronica says. "You're father and I, all of us, agree that it's time for us all to sit down and have a talk. They're putting together dinner there, we'll go there after. Toby and the girls wanted to come here, but we convinced them it'd be better to wait there. Toby took more time," She says, a hand resting gently on Spencer's back. Veronica hesitates a moment, and then pulls a piece of paper from the pocket of her jeans, handing it to her.

Spencer looks at her, confused momentarily as she opens it. There's a few lines, penned by two different hands, first Aria's and then Toby's.

_It's time to tell the truth. The real truth, no matter what. We're in this with you Spencer, we can't let her run the show anymore. -A/H/E_

**Spencer, don't say anything without talking to your mom first. It's going to be ok, they'll have you out soon. I love you. -T**

Toby's note is something, something to hold on to as she sits there. But the girls' note...was it even possible for them to tell the truth anymore? Allison had dug them so far in, they had helped, and everything had spiralled.

She'd picked them so she could play with them like dolls, pulling strings and making them dance for her. She'd almost killed them all, or they'd all almost died because of her, things had gotten so messed up. Spencer didn't know what would happen, if they told the truth, but she knew when it came down to it, that was all they had left to do. She couldn't spout off anymore lies, add to the pile that was already suffocating them. Her future was dependent on the truth now, regardless of how scary that was.


	2. Chapter 1

_Title: In The Aftermath_  
_Summary: After Spencer's arrest and Mona's death, the girls realize that the only way to end it all is to jump in headfirst and do the one thing they've been unable to for so long: tell the truth, and hope that something goes right. How hard will it be to deal with the aftermath? Spencer/spoby centric, but includes all main characters/couples._

_Author's note: Thank you so much for all the positive feedback you've left! I'm so glad that you guys like this so far, and are interested to see more. I have many things planned in my head, and am always open to suggestions. I try to update as often as I can, which will become harder as classes start again, but just bare with me. Chapters may be short, but I'll do what I can to update timely! Here's the next part, enjoy and please let me know what you think! -Jen  
_

* * *

**Chapter One  
**

* * *

Thirty more minutes passed before her dad showed up with his friend, and in that time, they didn't talk much. Holbrook didn't come back, which was strange, and her mother didn't lecture her or ask any questions. It was strange, to Spencer, having seen the shift of her mother. From lawyer, take no nonsense, to actually being her mother in the past months. She was sure her mom was still a very good lawyer, in fact, given the situation, she desperately needed her to be. But it was nice, her mother just holding her. It was somehow reassuring, though she still longed for Toby.

When her father showed up, it was with the judge in tow. "Mrs. Hastings," The older man says, shaking Veronica's hand. "Jonathan Russo, I believe we've met in my courtroom before."

"Yes, your honor. Thank you for coming," Veronica says, as a man files in, along with Tanner.

"Let's make this quick," Tanner says, looking rushed.

"Yes, please," her father says, now standing behind her's and her mother's chairs. "As I'm sure you can imagine, we'd like to take care of this quickly." A second man, along with a woman enter the room.

"That's the assistant district attorney," Veronica says softly in her ear, pointing out the man that had entered the room with tanner. "The other man is a court reporter, and the woman is the court record keeper." Spencer nods, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Well, we're all in agreement, then," Judge Russo says, sitting at the head of the table, taking a file. "The state of Pennsylvania versus Spencer Hastings, on the count of murder in the first degree. Mr. King?" He asks, looking at the attorney.

"Yes, your honor. We have evidence that Ms. Hastings willfully set out to commit the murder of Bethany Young on the evening of August 27th, 2012."

"And we, obviously, are very interested to see this so called evidence," Veronica cuts in.

"Yes, to be honest, so am I, Mr. King," The judge says, looking over a paper. "This arrest seems rushed and an attempt to have an answer after many failures from this police department. And according to this, the arrest warrant was issued after the arrest was made. On top of that, I understand that you're in the process of trying to put many other crimes on the shoulders of Ms. Hastings, but it seems unlikely that she is the mastermind, considering the murder that just took place this morning occurred while Ms. Hastings was already in custody."

Spencer does a double take, looking to her mother, then back at the judge. "What murder?" She asks panicking. "Who was murdered?!"

The judge looks at her, his expression soft, but it's Detective Tanner who answers. "Your friends found Mona Vanderwaal's house ransacked this morning. The amount of blood found indicates the victim could not have survived, and DNA tests confirmed it to be Mona's. It's been ruled a homicide."

Her breath catches in her throat, she suddenly feels sick. Mona was dead? Mona was murdered? Just hours ago, Spencer had been talking to her. Hours ago, they'd been working together. Things sure had changed, her and her friends working with Mona, but a common enemy could do that to you. Mona had done awful things to them, but she was sick, she'd gotten somewhat better. And in a way, somehow, Spencer could kind of understand now. What it was like to be desperate, and scared. She would never be best friends with Mona, after everything, but her dead...she struggled to breathe. Too many people were dying, too many people were getting hurt. "No," Spencer says, shaking her head, "N-no." She thinks of Hanna, who had found a friend in Hanna when their group had fallen apart, Hanna, who had struggled with her friend being A, and had been back and forth ever since. Hanna had to be a mess right now, and Spencer couldn't even be there for her.

"Spencer, calm down, breathe," Her mother said. She's aware of all the eyes on her, and that just makes it even worse. For a moment, she feels as though she's back in Radley, where she never felt alone, it always felt like she was being watched. She shakes her head, scrambling out of the chair, back away from everyone until her back is against the wall, giving herself space. This was all too much, everything coming down on her at once. It's as though everything that's happened in the past two years is weighing on her, and she can't take it anymore.

"Everyone keeps dying!" Spencer gasps as her mother, crying, shaking her head. "People keep getting murdered, and I can't-I can't," She shakes her head, breaths becoming harder and harder. Her dad stands in front of them, shielding her and her mother from the eyes of the judge, reporter, record keeper, district attorney, and Tanner, which Spencer is grateful for. It's encoded into her DNA to not let anyone see her cry, to not be weak, and at that moment she feels very weak. She's exhausted mentally, emotionally, and physically. "I-I don't know h-how we all got here," Spencer cries, shaking her head at her mother, who looks upset, guilty, pained.

"I know, honey, I know," Veronica says softly, gently resting her hands on either side of Spencer's face. "But it's over now, ok, it's over. Just calm down, and let's get through this, and then we can go home, and we'll figure this all out," She promises. Spencer looks at her mother for a moment, slowly feeling her breathing returning to normal as she calms down, but knowing there's no simple way to just figure this all out.

Ever since Alison had brought them all together, everything had gotten further away from simple with each passing day. At first it was just little things, small things that hadn't seemed so big. But then time passed and everything got bigger and bigger, leading to the Jenna thing, and now all this. Spencer, who had once been so in control, felt so out of control, so at a loss. The body count in Rosewood just seemed to grow every few weeks, and it feels like more and more weight on top of her shoulders. She hadn't pulled a trigger or done anything to any of them directly, but it was all because of the mess Alison had turn her life into.

"Are we good to continue?" Interrupts the voice of the assistant district attorney, and Veronica looks at her. Spencer forces a nod, and her mom helps her back to the chair, holding tightly to her hand, as though trying to anchor her here. As hard as she tries to not think about Mona, she can't help it.

"Your plea, Ms. Hastings?" The judge asks gently.

"Not guilty," Spencer says without her mother's prodding, though her voice is hoarse as she tries to talk. Mona can't talk anymore, because they'd pulled her back into this. She thinks of Hanna again, desperately wishing she could talk to her, hug her.

"I'm sure you have something to say on the matter of bail, Mr. King?" Judge Russo says expectantly.

"Yes, the people request remand, Your Honor. The Hastings family has ample assets to aid their daughter in running away, and we consider her a flight risk, considering the severity of the charges."

"My daughter is seventeen years old with ties to the community. My husband and I are both lawyers who are very familiar with the rules of the law. While there are no grounds for this arrest, we wouldn't sneak her out of the country, and I am offended that you would suggest so," Her mother snaps at the district attorney. Turning to the judge, she adds, "We'll surrender her passport."

"Bail is set at one hundred thousand, cash or bond," the judge decides, already turning to hear the attorneys next words, expecting them.

"In that case, we request the defendant be put on house arrest at her parent's residence, and her movements recorded using a tracker bracelet."

The judge sighs, writing something down as Spencer looks at the blinking red light on the camera that's recording everything going on. Shutting her eyes, she turns to face the judge again as he begins to talk. "I will order that the defendant be sentenced to house arrest at the Hasting's residence at 23 Bridgewater Terrace, in Rosewood. Tomorrow morning, a police officer will come by with the tech to set that up. If you are not present when they arrive, a warrant will be issued for your re-arrest, and bail will be revoked. Mr and Mrs Hastings, Ms Hastings, do you understand the terms set forth?"

Spencer nods slowly, before remembering she needs to say it out loud. "Yes, your honor," She says softly, her parents echoing her statement.

"Very well. I would like it made clear," He says, his voice very stern. Spencer looks up, only to see he's not talking to her, but to Tanner and the ADA. "That I will make sure I personally have this case. You have a very thin line to toe. There have been way too many mistakes made in the Rosewood police department as I see it, and I will not allow you to ruin a young girls life. You have one chance that is already muddled by your sloppy arrest, and if this does not pan out I will personally make sure that the Rosewood police department gets a serious overhaul," He says. Banging his gavel, Judge Russo goes on, "Arraignment concluded, Peter you can post bail with the clerk and take your daughter home. Everyone have a nice Thanksgiving," He says, nodding.

Looking positively pissed, Detective Tanner and Justin King leave the room, the court reporter and note taker finishing up, one of them clicking the camera off. Spencer's dad stands, shaking Judge Russo's hand and thanking him. "I'm going to walk the judge out and post bail," He says to her mom, looking at her briefly. "Hang in there, Spence," He says softly, before disappearing.

"I need to see Hanna, and I need Toby," Spencer says immediately.

"As soon as your dad posts bail, we'll get home," she promises. "Spencer, I can see it in your eyes," her mom says softly, taking her hand. "It's not your fault, honey."

"Ali did it," Spencer whispers. "She has to have done it." She's quiet for a moment, before swallowing the lump in her throat. "There's a lot I haven't told you, a lot the girls and I haven't told anyone," Spencer finally says.

Veronica looks at her for a moment, slowly nodding. "I know," She says softly. "It's alright. We'll...we'll figure everything out, Spencer, and we're going to keep you safe, all of you."

Spencer thinks of what Mona said, that once Ali was done with her, she'd turn on her and the girls. She knew that Mona was right, that they were the main targets now. She didn't understand why it had gotten here, but it was. And they had a choice, but no choice seemed desirable. No matter what, they were in danger, but they had the option to end it finally. Or at least, to try.

Her dad returns with an officer who hands her the things that had been taken from her when she was processed. Her phone, the jewelry. Finally, they let her go, and her dad goes to get the car, bringing it around back where they get in quickly, peeling out of the parking lot. Veronica sits in the back with her, and Spencer lets her head rest against her mom's shoulder. She couldn't do it anymore, none of them could. She was tired of the lying, the secrets, trying to keep it all straight. And she was tired of people dying, people getting hurt.

It was time to the tell the truth, her friends were right.

When they pull up to their house, her dad has to slowly approach the gate because there's a small crowd of reporters outside in spite of the holiday. Grateful for tinted windows and their gated property, as soon as her dad stops the car in the driveway she's getting out, running inside. There's a lot of people, all her friend's parents, siblings, and significant others. Even Ezra, sitting beside Aria. She spots Hanna in Caleb's arms, looking upset as she expected, and she will console her and apologize after. But all she can do when she gets in the house is seek out Toby.

He's sitting there, looking worried in his wheelchair and Spencer knows he feels helpless. But he's there, and she hurries to him, sinking into his lap, needing to be as close as she can be. "Spencer," He breathes, arms holding her tightly but not uncomfortably, his heart beating in his chest under her head, his lips on her forehead...she's home, and for a moment she just is there with him, feeling safe before it'll all finally come out.


	3. Chapter 2

_Title: In The Aftermath_  
_Summary: After Spencer's arrest and Mona's death, the girls realize that the only way to end it all is to jump in headfirst and do the one thing they've been unable to for so long: tell the truth, and hope that something goes right. How hard will it be to deal with the aftermath? Spencer/spoby centric, but includes all main characters/couples._

_Author's note: Hello again! Sorry for the long wait, classes have started up again. Updates may be slow, but I promise I'm still working on this story. This chapter is the longest, as I couldn't find a space to break it up, so hopefully that makes up for the wait! Thank you all so much for your amazing reviews. The response to this story is amazing and I am glad so many people enjoy it! Please let me know what you think, and if you have any ideas! I'm always open! Enjoy! -Jen  
_

_PS: Not now, but in the future, parts of some chapters could be on the M side of things. Would you guys want that, or would you rather I kept it on the T side? _

* * *

**Chapter Two  
**

* * *

Fifteen minutes pass before Spencer moves away from Toby, and even then she wished she could stay. But Hanna is hurting, and she needs to be there for her friend. In the time that she'd been caught up in Toby, face hidden against his chest, Mike had appeared. He was sitting beside Aria, looking grief stricken, and it's then that Spencer remembers they were dating, him and Mona. Hanna is still sitting in Caleb's arms, but when Spencer approaches he lets her go. Sitting down beside Hanna, Spencer wraps her arms around her, and the blonde leans into her.

She's not crying, but she had been, Spencer can see the red around her eyes. "I'm so sorry," Spencer whispers. She wants to say something else, say something to make her feel better, but what was there to say? Sure, Hanna had been distant with Mona considering everything she'd done, but she had still been her best friend once upon a time, she was still important. And Mona was murdered, probably violently, for no reason. All because of this whole thing. All because of them. "We're going to end this," Spencer finally says, and feels Hanna nodding against her shoulder.

"We have to," Hanna whispers. It's a relief, for all four of them to finally be on the same page, for all of them to be in agreement. No matter what happened as a result of telling the truth, they had to do it.

The parents were all in the kitchen, making dinner and talking, though all of them would occasionally look over at them from time to time. Finally, once a headway is made on dinner, they all come towards the living room.

"Ok," Veronica sighs, "I think it's time we all play catch up. Full catch up, the truth."

"Shouldn't Alison and her father be here, too, then?" Pam Fields asks, and Emily shakes her head.

"No, mom," Emily sighs. "We...we were wrong about Ali, about a lot."

"Everyone should sit down," Spencer says, standing up, allowing Hanna to go back to Caleb. "This is going to take a while."

They sit on the couches and chair, pull in chairs from the dining room, and take up spots on the floor. It's Toby that reaches out for Spencer, bringing her to sit down in his lap once again, and she doesn't have any complaints. With him in a wheelchair it worked, because she wanted to be close to him, needed to be close to him. Toby was the one person that could keep her calm, keep her out of the dark place that so often seemed like it was going to swallow her up. And when she did feel like it was swallowing her, he was always there, helping her through it. Getting to know and subsequently falling in love with Toby, and reconnecting with her friends were the only good things about the past four years. Once they're all seated, there's a moment of silence, and they all look at each other before Spencer finally opens her mouth, and starts to talk.

"Alison was the one to bring us all together," Spencer remembers. "The summer between sixth and seventh grade. We'd all known of each other, we all knew each other, but we weren't friends, and we weren't friends with her, until one day we were." Spencer didn't really know how to put it other than that. One day they weren't friends, they were all just girls in the same grade, at the same school, who lived in the same town; and then the next they'd all been brought together by the popular girl. "There was never any transition period, really. I know I always wondered why she picked me," Spencer says, the other girls nodding in agreement. "But that wasn't something we ever voiced out loud, to her, or to each other. You didn't question Allison wanting to bestow her friendship on you, you just thanked your lucky stars because she did."

"We were all different, or missing something, or we had some quality that she liked," Aria chimes in quietly. "I was the weird girl, I didn't have many friends. I felt everything too much, too deeply."

"I was loyal, but I was quiet and shy," Emily murmurs. "And I had a crush on her, even though I didn't know it at the time. I was easily manipulated."

Hanna shifts in her seat beside Caleb, looking at the floor as she speaks up next. "I wanted to be her," She finally says. "I had weight problems, and dad had just left...Ali always seemed so perfect. So beautiful, so put together, with her perfect family, her perfect life, and all her friends. I admired how easy everything always was for her. I wanted to be her," She repeats, her head falling to rest against Caleb's shoulder. He rubs her back gently, looking upset, like he wants to counter everything she's saying, tell her how everyone else sees her, but somehow knows it's not the time.

"I was the smart one," Spencer says. "That's why she picked me. But I wasn't just smart, I was so desperate to be accepted, to fit in. I was always in competition with Melissa, I felt like I was never good enough," she says quietly, her eyes on her lap. She doesn't add that she still feels that way, that she's never good enough. She tries so hard, has been trying to hard to figure everything out while still being the best in school, being the best at everything. Spencer feels Toby's arms tighten around her waist slightly, his thumb gently rubbing against the skin on her arm.

"Compassionate, loyal, admiring, smart...she saw those, and a bunch of other qualities in us that appealed to her," Spencer sighs, "And so we were picked."

"It started out normally enough," Aria says. "We were just friends, we got closer and closer. Ali had this way of making you feel like you could trust her with anything, and we did," Aria murmurs softly. "We told her everything, told each other everything, and never seemed to notice that she didn't give us the same. She was always listening, making snide comments, but she never told us her secrets. And oh, we knew she had them," Aria adds.

"Alison...she has this way of making you feel like complete crap about yourself," Hanna says. "But then saying something or doing something to make you feel better, even though she was the one to cause it." Her eyes drop down to her lap, as Caleb rubs her back. "She'd always make comments about how I was eating, or how I was too big...she made me hate myself, and then she...she taught me how to puke it all up and hide it," Hanna finally admits. The look on Ashley's face as she goes on is painful, and Pam takes her hand in a show of comfort. "She didn't put her fingers down my throat, but she planted it in my head, and then she...she just kept making comments. She said it was to help me."

"Hanna," Ashley whispers, shaking her head, eyes filled with pain. "Why, why would you believe her?" She asks. "There was nothing wrong with you, you were beautiful. My god, I was so clueless, you said you wanted to go to those camps, but it was all her, wasn't it?" Ashley exclaims. "Hanna, I'm so sorry," She shakes her head, burying her face in her hands. "I was so caught up in your father cheating and the divorce, I didn't even notice, I wasn't there for you!"

"No, mom," Hanna says quickly, moving off of Caleb, over to her mother. "It's not your fault," She shakes her head, kneeling in front of her. "It's not, don't-don't blame yourself, please."

"Your hair," Ashley says, looking at her, resting her hands against each side of her daughter's face. "Your hair, your clothes, you...was that all because she came back?"

Holding onto her mom's hands, Hannah looks down, shrugging a little. "I guess," She murmurs. "After she left, Mona and I became friends, and we said we weren't going to let anyone talk about us like they had been. We got in shape together-healthily-and we redesigned our wardrobes. I...I became Ali's clone," Hanna murmurs. "And I didn't want to be like her anymore."

"You never, ever had to be anyone but yourself," Ashley murmurs, wrapping her arms around Hanna, holding her tight.

There's a silence that follows for a bit, and they all give the mother and daughter their moment. After a minute, Hanna pulls away, and sits back down next to Caleb, and they go back in time again.

"For the most part it was all innocent enough. She'd get us to pull pranks on people, but then..." Spencer trails off, looking at Toby, shutting her eyes. "Ali got a lot of things wrong," She finally says, "And she thought..."

"She thought that I was a creep, just like the rest of this town," Toby says for her, his hand gently rubbing her back. "I was grieving. My mom had barely been buried when my father married Jenna's mother," He says, "And I was forced into this whole new life, expected to be accepting of this new family. Jenna was...inappropriate," Toby says quietly. Spencer takes his hand in hers, holding it tightly, wanting to give him strength, the strength he always gave her. "She wanted me to see her as a girlfriend and she...forced herself on me," Toby finally says. "Alison DiLaurentis was creeping through a window, and saw it the other way around."

Emily seems to get that Toby can't talk about it anymore, and that Spencer wouldn't want to, so she takes over. "Ali had us wrapped around her finger. We did whatever she said, eventually, and one day she wanted to prank Toby...to set off fireworks near his tree house," She says. "But he wasn't in there, Jenna was, and she...she got hurt."

"So Alison used the blackmail she thought she had..." Veronica seems to understand. "And you took the blame for something you didn't do," She says, looking at Toby, who nodded his head once.

Seeming to go into lawyer mode, as if he ever left that, Peter finally spoke. "Did you throw the fireworks, Spencer?" He asks. "Because if so, if any of you did-"

"No, dad," Spencer cuts him off. "It was Alison. It was all Alison, that's what we're saying!" She exclaims. "Alison brought us together for some-some crazy game she wanted to play! We've been her dolls for years,

even when she was supposedly dead! Because you wanna know something? She wasn't dead, and she sure as hell wasn't kidnapped, either!" She shouts.

"Spence, calm down," Toby says softly, rubbing her back.

"I can't!" She exclaims. "I was just arrested for something I didn't do, and it's just what she wants! I might go to jail, I might go down for this and I- I don't even understand it all! The past five years have been just one thing after another, one game after another! I trusted her, we all trusted her, and all we were to her were dolls, pawns!" She cries. "I'm sick of it, I don't want to do it anymore, I don't want to do any of it anymore, I can't!"

"I know, baby, I know," Toby says gently, bringing her close against his chest. "But this is going to end it," He murmurs in her ear. "This will end it, it's going to be over soon."

She wants to believe him, wants to believe that the truth will be the end of this. They'll pay the price, whatever it is, and be done. She clings to him, to his words like it's a lifeline, but there's that part of her head, the realistic, smart part that tells her it could all just blow up in their face. Because like Aria said, who would believe a bunch of liars? But the truth is all that's left, and so she doesn't have a choice. Taking a moment, Spencer buries her face against the crook of Toby's neck. His skin, warm against her, is soft and smells like a combination of his cologne, his deodorant, and the faint antiseptic smell of the hospital. Minus the hospital, it smells like home, like safety. It calms her.

Pulling her head away, she finally opens her eyes, and nods to the girls, before she starts again, from that night, the night of the Jenna thing. It seems like it takes a whole day, the girls taking turns recounting the past years. Occasionally, Ezra, Caleb, Paige, or Toby would jump in. They told them everything, each of them detailing their lives. It's not always easy. Aria and Ezra having to recount their breakups, Ezra admitting to the parents about his book (Byron glaring at him in a way that was reminiscent of when he found out they were together). When Toby told them all about being a part of the A Team as a desperate attempt to protect Spencer, and the whole mess that followed that. Emily confessing that Ali had messed with her head most of all, tearing up as she apologized to Paige for everything. And Hanna, telling more about her thought process and experience with the bulimia and anorexia.

They all leave out the things their parents really don't need to know, though at this point that's only the occasions when they all had sex. It seems to be an unspoken agreement that none of their parents need to know about any of that.

"We thought we were going to end it," Aria murmurs at the point when they're talking about New York. "That we'd figured it out. Ezra had gotten shot, and we made a plan to draw A out, when he woke up and confirmed what we'd suspected. It was Shana...so I left the hospital to go to the theater," She says quietly, her throat feeling tight. "And when I got there...she had the gun on them. On Spencer, Emily, Hanna...and Ali. She said she was getting revenge, that she'd got us all to the lodge, she'd set the fire, and she was angry. She kept waving the gun around, talking about getting justice for Jenna, and she was about to shoot," Aria whispers. Her head is in her hands, tears in her voice as she talks. "I grabbed a prop rifle, and I snuck in there, and I called her name. She turned, and shot the gun...it hit the light, and I hit her. I only meant to knock the gun out of her hands, but she-she fell!" Aria says, her voice breaking. "She fell the wrong way, and it was too late, I couldn't save her, I couldn't help her," She cries. "I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to kill her," She shakes her head, a sense of relief in her voice as she finally tells someone. Ella gets out of her seat, moving towards her daughter, and Ezra vacates the spot next to Aria so she can take it, wrapping her daughter in her arms.

"It was self defense, Aria." Veronica says softly. "You did what you had to do, you thought that your lives were in danger, and they were. It was an accident."

"I know, I know that, but she's still dead," Aria sobs. "And we thought it was over then. We thought that Ali could come home, that we would be safe, and then it wasn't."

"It started all over again," Spencer said, taking it upon herself for the most part to detail what had happened since Ali's return to Rosewood, all leading up to now, including Melissa's video confession. By the end, she sighs, "We think it's Ali. We think it's been Ali this whole time."

"It is," Aria cuts in from where she is, still in Ella's arms. "Mona called, just before...that's why we went over," She tells them. "She said she had proof that Ali was A, and it makes sense. She picked us...smart, loyal, admirable, compassionate. All the things she couldn't be. She's a sociopath that used us all in this game."

"But why," Pam asks. "What is the point of all of this?"

"I have a theory." It just occurred to Spencer now, a summation of all her thinking from the past day. All eyes on her, she takes a breath. "We know that Jason is only Jessica's, not Ken's," she says, glancing at her dad. "She's got a history of being unfaithful. What if Ali's biological father is different, too? What if Bethany Young's father was also Ali's?"

"So they were half sisters, and Mrs. D was what? Trying to get on Bethany's good side?" Hanna asks. "So Ali got jealous and lured her out there? Why?"

"I don't know," Spencer sighs. "But Bethany Young was dressed just like Ali, and looked so much like her. Some of the DNA had to be the same for a test to be tricked."

"Is there anything you know about this, Peter?" Veronica asks coolly of her husband.

"No," He says quickly. "I meant what I said, Jessica and I never had a deeper relationship again after Jason was born. We didn't talk, she didn't tell me anything."

A silence falls over the room, interrupted by the timer of the stove. They all jump, as Veronica hurries over, turning it off. "I think this is all a lot to take in," She says finally. "Let's have dinner, and enjoy the rest of the holiday to the best of our ability. Everyone can stay here...I think it's best if we all stay together for the moment. Safest. And then tomorrow we can work on how to do this."

The parents all nod in agreement, all of them getting up to go in the kitchen again and finish dinner. Ella makes sure Aria's ok before joining them, and Ezra sits beside her once again. They're all quiet, sitting with their significant others, as dinner is put on the table and they all sit down.

The parents try to make it seem normal, making conversation, and the girls all join in when forced. No one eats much, though, their minds all reeling. It's a weird few hours after dinner, before they all finally decide to just go to bed, as everyone's exhausted.

The girls let Spencer voice all of their thoughts for them. "Someone can take my room...we'll all go in the den," She says, since none of them wanted to be separated. If any of the parents have an issue with the girls all having their boyfriends or girlfriends sleeping with them, none of them say it, and they're all grateful.

She's reluctant to leave Toby but does for a few minutes so she can go upstairs to her room, grabbing T-shirts and pajama pants for Emily, Aria, Hanna, and Paige to borrow, and gathering pillows and blankets from the hall closet. After they all change, in relative silence, they head downstairs and into the Hasting's den. It's a rather large room, housing a double bed in addition to a over sized sectional sofa and a large screen TV. Spencer produces and air mattress from the closet, and

It's an unspoken agreement to let Spencer and Toby sleep in the bed because he's still in pain and his leg would make the floor difficult, and Caleb helps him out of the wheelchair and onto the mattress before joining Hanna on one end of the large sofa. He wraps her in his arms, her head resting on his chest, whispering into her ear, and they give them their privacy. Emily and Paige volunteer to take the air mattress, and after getting it all set up, they too curl up together, leaving Ezra and Aria in a similar position on the opposite end of the sofa.

With the lights out and everyone comfortable, Spencer crawls into the bed with Toby. No words are exchanged as he pulls her in close. They exchange a kiss, long though chaste, before she lets her head fall against the crook of his neck, their bodies intertwined. "I love you," Toby murmurs softly, stroking his hand up and down her arm. "Always, Spencer. No matter what."

Spencer lets out a shaky breath, the reality of the day feeling like a weight on top of her, momentarily lifted by this small bubble of safety with Toby. "I love you, too," She whispers. Spencer is sure she won't sleep that night, and she probably wouldn't have, but Toby was there. Before long, she feels herself slowly giving into the nagging exhaustion, thinking briefly of what the next few weeks would bring, but finding momentary solace to let go for a while.


	4. Chapter 3

_Title: In The Aftermath_  
_Summary: After Spencer's arrest and Mona's death, the girls realize that the only way to end it all is to jump in headfirst and do the one thing they've been unable to for so long: tell the truth, and hope that something goes right. How hard will it be to deal with the aftermath? Spencer/spoby centric, but includes all main characters/couples._

_Author's note: Hi guys! Sorry for the wait, school and work, you know. But here is chapter three! Please let me know what you think. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them! Thanks! Enjoy!  
_

_-Jen_

* * *

**Chapter Three  
**

* * *

When Spencer wakes up the next morning, she doesn't move from Toby's arms, or the bed. She pretends to be asleep still, even as the others wake up and slip out of the den. She can smell coffee coming from the kitchen as Hanna and Caleb leave the room together, leaving her and Toby alone. "You sleep ok?" Toby murmurs softly as soon as the door shuts, his hand stroking her hair.

"Mm, better than I thought I would," she replies. "I don't want to get up. I just wanna lay here with you all day." Finally moving, she only shifts so that they're spooning, Toby's arms around her from behind, their legs tangled together around his cast.

"I know," He replies, pressing his lips against the back of her neck. "Me too."

They lay there in silence for a while comfortably, before Spencer speaks. "Do you really think this is going to end it?" She whispers, afraid to ask the question.

"I have to believe it, Spence," Toby says, "I have to believe that there's some end in sight after all of this. That the truth will actually set us free from this...that it'll set you free. I...I can't watch you deal with this anymore. I've tried everything I could to end this for you, and none of it worked, and the thought of seeing this all tear you apart even more kills me. I just want it to be over for you, Spencer. So you can finish high school, and go on to college, and start your life without this crap hanging over you. I want you to be happy, and feel safe. I want you to be safe."

Moving in his arms, she turns to face him, reaching up and resting her hand against his cheek. Spencer rubs her thumb gently across his skin, feeling the stubble underneath it, her eyes on his. "You make me happy," She murmurs softly. "You make me feel safe."

"And I'm glad that I make you happy, and make you feel safe, Spence," Toby whispers, reaching up to tuck a stray strand of her hair behind her ear and out of her face. "But I want you to actually be safe. I want to be able to do normal things without being afraid that A is going to ruin it. I want to be able to take you to your prom," He whispers. "No matter how lame you think it'll be," Toby says before she argues, and Spencer smiles a little. "I still want to take you. I want to take you to your prom, and slow dance with you, and get corny prom pictures to compare to our wedding photos later on. I want to watch you have honest to God carefree fun, let loose. I want...I want you to be able to go to college and not be afraid of A following you wherever you go. I want to marry you, Spencer, and have babies one day. I want to be able to do all this stuff without being afraid of this unknown person coming after you, after the people you love."

Spencer's not sure what to say, and so she says nothing, just looking at him for a moment, her hand moving to rest against his torso. Toby's hands move to cup her face, leaning in to rest his forehead against hers, eyes locked with hers. "I've watched you go through so much pain, and anguish over the past few years. Some of it...some of it was because of me," He says, forcing the words out as his throat feels tight, his chest aches. He'd never forgive himself for the pain he'd caused her. "And so holding onto the fact that this could end it all...I have to, baby. I just need to believe it's going to be all over. I have to believe that the truth will set us all free."

The truth will set you free. That was one of the sayings that Alison used to mock. 'You're always better off with a really good lie,' she'd said. "Look where that got us," Spencer whispers softly.

"Hm?" Toby asks, his hand now absently stroking his hair.

"Nothing," Spencer whispers, shaking her head. "I just hope you're right. I hope that it's over because I just...I want all of that. All that you said," She murmurs. "I can't take this anymore, and I...I can't go to jail," Spencer says, shaking her head again. "I can't."

"You won't," He says firmly. "Just hold onto that, Spence. Believe this will all be over, and the truth will come out. You didn't do anything to hurt anyone."

"I know that, Toby," Spencer says, "I know, but I think Alison did, and I think this was part of her plan the whole time. This plan that she's clearly been orchestrating for a while, and it's genius when you think of it," She points out, bitter. "Turn your four best friends into a bunch of liars, and no one will believe them when you set it up to ruin their lives. You get to play your game and do the deed, then push it off on them. I feel so stupid," she sighs, her voice breaking. "For ever giving into her, for ever being pulled in, in the first place. I was so desperate to be accepted how I was, to be liked, for friends, that I didn't even realize how toxic she was. I did this to myself," Spencer says, crying now.

"No," Toby says firmly, "No, Spencer, you listen to me. Alison is clearly a sociopath, she is incapable of feeling anything, but she's very good at acting and manipulation. You were twelve years old, and Alison was offering you a ready made group of friends. Most people would have taken it, like you said...she had a lot of power over everyone in that school."

She hears him, but shakes her head. Her mind feels so full, like it always does. Like it's on hyperdrive, trying to sort this all out, make sense of everything and find answers like she does with everything. Spencer's so tired mentally, psychologically, emotionally, and physically. She wishes that she could just lay down and sleep for a long time, not wake up until years had passed and this was all over. She'd wake up and A would be a thing of the past, or even better, just a really bad dream. During the bad parts, she'd feel a familiar twinge deep within her, a craving for the drug that had just ruined her more, but had also made her feel like she wasn't sinking into a deep pit within herself, it had given her so much energy. "Please just hold me," Spencer finds herself sobbing, trying to get closer to him. "I just need you to hold me." Toby obliges, sliding his arms down around her waist, pulling her in closer to him, and wrapping her up securely in his arms. He doesn't tell her to stop crying, he doesn't make her feel weak or pathetic. He just holds her, kissing her forehead, whispering that he loved her and letting her cry.

Ten, twenty, thirty minutes pass by, though after some time she stops sobbing, just lays there in his arms, trying to keep calm. A soft knock on the door isn't enough to draw Spencer away from him, and that's how Veronica finds them, curled up together. "Spencer?" She asks, coming into the room. Catching sight of her daughter's red eyes, the tortured look on her face, she frowns. "Sweetie, are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Spencer lies, voice hoarse, though she still doesn't get up.

"Ashley and Pam made pancakes for everyone," Veronica says after a moment of debating whether or not to point out that she obviously wasn't fine. "And before you claim you're not hungry, I want you to eat anyways. You need to eat. Please." She's about to say that the police could show up at any time to set up the GPS tracker, but doesn't. She does, however, take a few steps further into the room.

"I know you're not ok," She says quietly. "No one expects you to be. And...I'm going to fix this, Spencer," Veronica says, sitting on the edge of the bed, resting a hand on her back. Spencer shifts, moving her head away from Toby's chest to look at her mother. "I'm going to take care of you, I'm going to be there for you the way I should have been from the start. I've made a lot of mistakes," Veronica says as Spencer sits up, Toby following her movements. "And I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I know I can't go back...I can't change what your father and I did, how we treated you, and I will never forgive myself for it. But I will be better, and I will try every day for the rest of my life to make it up to you. I'm going to take care of you," She insists, reaching out to brush her fingers through Spencer's long hair. "I'm going to make this better, I'm going to fix it."

Sitting up, Spencer moves closer to her mom, leaning in to hug her. She doesn't say anything, unsure of what to say. She wasn't going to lie and say that they hadn't hurt her, because they had. But this meant a lot to her, and she wanted her mom to know that she wanted to work together.

"I love you so much," Veronica whispers fiercely. "And I'm going to fix this."

"I love you, too," Spencer tells her mother. "But you didn't do this, mom."

Veronica doesn't say anything, just hugs her tightly. She does feel like she did this, that her and Peter's actions played a part in all of this. If only they'd been more attentive to things other than grades, if only they'd been there, if only she'd noticed. There were so many things they could do over, but do overs didn't exist. All she could do was make things better now, and that was getting the judge to see through this game Alison had pulled her daughter and her friends into.

"Take a few minutes, then come out for breakfast, ok?" Veronica says with a smile. "I'll ask Caleb to come help you, Toby?"

"I can do it," Spencer says, and though Veronica looks skeptical, she nods, and departs. Both she and Toby are quiet after she leaves, as Toby shifts closer to her, finding the damn cast around his leg cumbersome.

He sees a look on Spencer's face and frowns, his hand resting against her back, gently rubbing up and down. "What's wrong?" Toby inquires.

Quiet for a moment longer, Spencer finally turns to look at him. "I've waited so long to hear her say that. But she feels guilty for something not her fault, I don't want her to feel guilty."

Toby looks back at her for a moment, before silently wrapping her in his arms. She's always so concerned about everyone else, wanting to take care of them. "It'll all work out," Toby murmurs.

Spencer nods, making herself listen and believe him, and a silence falls for a few more minutes, until Toby speaks up. "Um...can you help me get to the bathroom?"

Finding the simple question somehow comical, Spencer giggles a little, and then finds herself breaking into laughter. He's unsure why she's laughing, but the smile on her face, the sound of her laughter makes him smile widely, as he tries to commit it to his memory. She nods through the laughing, and leans in, kissing him. "Of course," She says, finally stopping, though she still smiles, getting up and moving around the bed. Spencer helps him to his feet and hands him the crutches that probably Caleb had propped in the corner, sticking close behind him as he hobbles to the bathroom. The easy smile and laughter is gone, but as Spencer waits for him to be done so she can help him to the wheelchair, she feels a tiny bit lighter. She had to listen to him and believe, somehow that this would work, that everything would be ok, no matter how hard it was.

xXxXx

"This tracker needs to have a green light at all times. It gives you the ability to go throughout the perimeter of your parent's property. If it turns orange, you have five seconds to get back within range, once it turns red, the police have been notified."

Spencer sits still on the couch in the living room, her mother sitting on one side and Toby on the other, holding tight to her hand. The tech was in the kitchen, where he was setting up the responder, and the officer sat before her. He's pointing at the monitor that will soon be on her ankle, anchoring her to her house. "Ms. Hastings, I need you to verbally recognize that you understand these instructions." Spencer looks up at the cop, and nods slowly.

"I understand." Her voice comes out hoarse, a lump in her throat, and Toby tightens his hand around hers, pulling it to his lap and wrapping his other hand around hers, gently moving his thumb back and forth against her skin.

The cop nods once. "Good. You're allowed to leave the house to attend court and medical appointments only. You will be subject to random drug testing, and random check ins. You may see a patrol car drive by occasionally, which is also a normal occurrence. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Spencer whispers.

"I'm going to place this around your ankle now, ok?" He asks, holding up the device, his hands visible.

Spencer struggles to swallow the lump in her throat, struggles to talk as the tears sting at her eyes, and she nods, forcing it out, the word sounding like whimper as her voice breaks. "Yes."

Veronica looks down at her lap, taking hold of the hand that Toby didn't have, just as her daughter's boyfriend lets go of her hand to instead wrap his arms around her. The officer leans forward, placing the tracker around her left ankle. He fiddles with it for a moment, securing it in place. It's not tight around her, but it still feels constricting, awful.

Spencer drowns it out as the cop and the tech say a few more words to her parents. Her mom gets up with her dad to see them off, and Spencer turns into Toby's arms, burying her face against his neck.

"It'll be ok, Spence," Hanna speaks up from where she sits at the kitchen table with her mom, Caleb, Emily, Mrs. Fields, and Paige. "We're going to end it."

Veronica and Peter return, and Spencer looks up as her mom puts a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok, honey. Us parents talked," She begins. "Tomorrow, we have an appointment with Judge Russo, Tanner, Holbrook, and the district attorney. We want you to tell them everything you told us, exactly as you told it. If they ask, you'll submit to polygraph tests. You all may wind up on probation or something, for what happened to Jenna and keeping information from the cops, but the truth will be out and they can figure out what the DiLaurentis family is hiding. It's going to be ok, Spencer," She says softly.

"We're all going to stay here again tonight," Ashley says, "And then go to the station in the morning. We're all in this together. We all want what's best for you girls and at this point it's telling the truth and letting everything work out how it will."

"What about Melissa?" Spencer asks.

Veronica looks at Peter, annoyed, before looking back to Spencer. "We're not sure," She finally says. "We're going to tell them what she said, I want you to show them the video. The truth means the whole truth. She's in the UK," She says. "Where your father sent her. So whatever happens, happens."

Spencer nods. "I want to go lay down," She murmurs.

"Ok," Veronica says, patting her back gently. "Good idea."

"Come with me?" Spencer whispers, turning to Toby.

"Of course," He nods. Spencer hands him the crutches, and he struggles up to his feet, slowly moving with her down the hall, to the den where they'd slept the night before. Shutting the door behind them, Spencer sits on the bed, laying down and staring at the ceiling as Toby moves around the bed, and sits down. Propping his crutches on the wall, he leans back, looking over at her. Spencer's laying there, her eyes now on the ankle monitor. "Spence," He says gently, "Don't think about it. That's all that really works. I know it's a lot easier said than done, but you have to try. What can I do to distract you?"

Spencer knows she can't tell him he doesn't understand, because he does. He'd been in this same position, only he didn't have himself, like she did. At that point, he barely had her. She had him, she had her friends, her family. They had a plan. But she couldn't help feel trapped, again. Like this was the end. "Kiss me," She whispers, eyes locking with his. "Make me feel stable again."

Toby looks at her for a long moment, hating that she felt so broken and lost. Reaching up, his hands cup her face and he moved in to kiss her. Their lips meet hot and passionately, Spencer's hands forming fists around Toby's shirt, pulling him closer as their tongues meet each other. She swings her leg over him so she's straddling him, wanting to be closer. They kiss until they both need to breathe, and reluctantly break apart, Spencer's head falling to his shoulder as she gasps for breath. Her heart beats fast in her chest, and underneath her head, she feels his beating, faster than normal. She was alive. She was someone, she was making it through, somehow. Tomorrow it would be over, or on the way to be anyways.

For the moment, she just lays there against Toby, trying not to think. Just there, as she is, for the moment.


End file.
